Justice News

Boulder Woman Sentenced to 10 Years In Federal Prison For Distribution of Heroin Resulting In Death

DENVER – Kirsten Lippold, age 48, of Boulder, Colorado, was sentenced today to serve 10 years in federal prison for distributing heroin resulting in death, U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer and FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Calvin Shivers announced. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore. Following the prison sentence, Judge Moore ordered the defendant to serve 5 years on supervised release. The defendant, who appeared at the sentencing hearing in custody, was remanded at the hearing’s conclusion.

Lippold was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on July 13, 2017. She pled guilty on May 9, 2018 to distribution of heroin resulting in death.

According to court documents, Kirsten Lippold distributed heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance, the use of which resulted in an overdose death on or about August 17, 2015. Within the factual basis of her plea agreement, Lippold admitted to selling less than a gram of heroin to the decedent. Nonetheless, that heroin resulted in a fatal overdose, which occurred in Boulder, Colorado. Sentencing proceedings further revealed that the defendant also had prior felony drug convictions. No information about the victim is available for release.

“If you are selling even small amounts of heroin in Colorado, know this: any one of your sales could kill someone. If you don’t care about that, maybe you’ll care about this: you will face mandatory minimum sentences in federal prison, out of state, no parole,” said U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer.

“Ms. Lippold’s sentence represents the FBI’s dedication to pursuing those intent on harming the citizens of our communities, through direct action and general criminal activity,” said FBI Denver Division Special Agent in Charge Calvin Shivers. “The FBI will continue to work through our strong law enforcement partnerships to protect our community from those engaged in crimes of this nature."

The investigation was conducted by the Boulder County Drug Task Force, the City of Boulder Police Department and the Fort Collins Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Bradley W. Giles, Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Colorado, Denver.